We wonder how many of our readers remember shopping in the huge and elegant Leicester Co-operative Society building on High Street? In its heyday, the Co-op was very much a community within itself. As well as its retail departments, it also boasted a lending library and reading room, a restaurant and even held sixpenny Saturday night concerts.

In the 1930s, its High Street cafe advertised its ability to provide either “a simple snack or a sumptuous banquet”, promising “good food efficiently served by a courteous staff”.This photo from our archive was taken in July 1979, more than 100 years after the society’s Leicester branch was formed.

It was launched in 1860 after a meeting of seven men at a house in Brook Street belonging to John Woodward, a glove hand and amateur musician. Mr Woodward and fellow co-operators S Wilford, T Norton, C Burrows, E Silverwood, G Sharpe and G Herbert agreed to form a committee to create a society based on the Co-operative principles and each put down three pence into their share account.

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A small shop was taken at 15 Belgrave Gate, opposite the old Palace Theatre. By the time of the society’s golden jubilee in 1910, they had acquired magnificent premises in High Street, opened 62 branches throughout the city and county and were the owners of a flour mill, farm, laundry and bakery. Those 21 pennies had grown into a vast business, with a turnover in 1910 of £420,000 and a membership of more than 19,000 people.

The Shires development eventually took over the society’s elegant 1902 High Street building and the premises were demolished. However, the elegant facade was retained and incorporated into the new shopping centre, which opened in 1991.